Teamsters Joint Council 25 President John Coli, left, listens to a speaker as Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel jokes with Chicago Federation of Labor President Jorge Ramirez, right, at McCormick Place on Oct. 21, 2011, during an event announcing an agreed revival of 2010 work rule reforms at McCormick Place.

Teamsters Joint Council 25 President John Coli, left, listens to a speaker as Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel jokes with Chicago Federation of Labor President Jorge Ramirez, right, at McCormick Place on Oct. 21, 2011, during an event announcing an agreed revival of 2010 work rule reforms at McCormick Place.

A politically connected Teamsters union boss pleaded not guilty Friday to a federal indictment accusing him of extorting $100,000 in cash from a well-known Chicago television studio.

John Coli Sr., considered one of the union's most powerful figures nationally, was charged last week with threatening work stoppages and other labor unrest unless he was given cash payoffs of $25,000 every three months.

While the indictment identified the business only as "Company A," sources close to the investigation said it is Cinespace Chicago Film Studios, a West Side studio that produces hit NBC shows "Chicago Fire" and "Chicago P.D." and has long ties to Coli and the Teamsters.

A Cinespace employee who answered the phone Friday referred questions to studio owner Alex Pissios, but he did not respond.

Coli, 57, an early backer of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, appeared in court Friday in a black suit and gray tie and kept his hands folded in front of him as his lawyer entered the not-guilty plea on his behalf.

The most serious charge, attempted extortion, carries up to 20 years in prison if convicted. He also was charged with five counts of demanding and accepting prohibited payment as a union official.

Coli was released on a $20,000 bond by U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer and ordered to turn in his passport as well as several firearms he keeps in his home. Neither Coli nor his lawyer, Joseph J. Duffy, would comment after court.

The alleged extortion occurred when Coli was president of Teamsters Joint Council 25, a labor organization that represents more than 100,000 workers in the Chicago area and northwest Indiana.

According to the charges, Coli accepted five payoffs, most recently a $25,000 sum on April 4, according to the indictment. Last year, he also accepted four cash payments totaling $75,000.

The indictment seeks forfeiture from Coli of at least $100,000.

The Coli family has been active in politics for years and is well-known for spreading around union cash to various candidates. Coli and his relatives also have been accused in civil lawsuits in both state and federal court of running the union like a racket — accusations they have vehemently denied.

In a 2011 deposition stemming from one suit, Coli was asked under oath why so many of his relatives were allowed to control the union's lucrative pension funds. "For the record, go f--- yourself," Coli answered, according to a transcript in court records.

John Coli Sr., considered one the union's most powerful figures nationally, was charged with threatening work stoppages and other labor unrest unless...

"So I take it you're refusing to answer that question?" the plaintiff's attorney asked.

"I think the answer speaks for itself," the transcript quoted Coli as saying.

Coli later cut the deposition short, saying he'd received a call that Emanuel needed him on an "emergency basis," court records show.

Coli supported Emanuel in his first run for mayor at a time when Emanuel, viewed as a centrist Democrat, had very little union backing.

The Teamsters contributed $35,000 to Emanuel's 2011 campaign, including $15,000 for polling. The union stepped up even more to back the mayor's bid for a second term, contributing $134,700, state campaign finance records show.

Once Emanuel was elected, a representative from the union was appointed to the mayoral transition team, and Coli was named to the exclusive group of campaign donors and community leaders in charge of planning the mayor's first inaugural.

In 2011, the Tribune detailed how Coli and his Teamsters muscle were instrumental in securing millions of dollars in grants and loans for Cinespace, including $5 million from then-Gov. Pat Quinn and another $2.2 million from the politically connected Belmont Bank & Trust.

In 2014, Emanuel formally kicked off his re-election campaign from Cinespace's studio in the blighted North Lawndale neighborhood.

Coli also has ties to the Republican administration of Gov. Bruce Rauner. In 2015, Rauner appointed Coli to an unpaid seat on the Illinois Labor Advisory Board. The appointment came months after the Teamsters agreed to a new contract with the administration.

On the day the indictment was announced last week, the Teamsters Local 727 website announced Coli planned to retire at the end of the month after 46 years in the union.

In the statement, Coli said he had decided it was time "to begin a new chapter" and that he wanted to spend more time with his family. He said he made the decision "with tremendous reflection and a big heart" but did not mention the investigation or charges.

Coli previously served as international vice president of the Central Region of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. His son, John Coli Jr., is president of Teamsters Local 727.